Automatic fluid connection for toggle actions



Aug. 29, 1939. GATES E L 2,171,235

AUTOMATIC FLUID CONNECTION FOR TOGGLE ACTIONS Filed Feb. 24, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M Q I 1.9 K

Aug. 29, 1939. A. o. GATES El AL (2,171,235

AUTOMATIC FLU'ID CONNECTION FOR TOGGLE ACTIONS Fi'led Feb. 24, 1937 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Patented. Aug, 29, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca AUTOMATIC FLUID CONNECTION FOB TOGGLE ACTIONS e Arthur 01 Gates, om Hf'l'earson, and cam Pearsom Salt Lake City,

Utah, assignors, by

meme assignments, to Nicholas L. Strike, Salt Lake City, Utah Application February 24, 1931, set-a1 No. 121.35;

Claims. (01. 38-16) Bur invention relates to laundry presses and has for its object to provide a new linkage means ,for connecting the coactingv toggle members to enable the movable head to be adjusted to the hydraulic liquid which is non-compressible. L

A still further object is to provide a yielding hydraulic cylinder to 'be used in presses which allows for by-passing of the fluid in a predetermined amount during the bringing together of the press but which automatically stops the flow of fluid when the moving element has traveled a predetermined distance and which then acts as a solid column of liquid with no yield n action. I A-still further object is to provide 'an automatic fluid cylinder for any toggle action to provide means to lengthen or shorten the travel of the toggle whether used in connection with pressing bucks or; any other mechanical action where a. toggle-connection is used to actuate any mov-e able member.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a partial section of "oneof our presses showing the yielding cylinder in use in the toggle connection.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the toggle connection and our cylinder in place.

Figure 3 is a partial section of the same press when actuated with the hydraulic cylinder in the non-yielding position for direct column action; w Figure 4 is a diametrical vertical section of the cylinder. a Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of our cylinder in any toggle action.

Figure 6 is an end'view of ioncentric crank arm used in the press;

Figure 7 is a. face view of Figure 6. r In the drawings in which we have shown our device the framework standard in which my en-- to tire pressing machine is mounted and carried is shown as A, the rear side raised into a pivotal support B for'th movable pressing buck C. h The stationary buck D is mounted on the table E of the fr'amework standard A.

5'5 Theinovable buck C is mounted on the end .bar Ill.

. of the buck arm 5 and the buck arm 5 is pivot-- ally mounted on the pivot 6. The end of the buck arm which moves the arm and buck is mounted to a-clevis 8 by a pin 9 and the clevis is connected to an adjustable threaded shaft or 5 Between the bar Ill and the bar 10a we provide our hydraulic cylinder H which will be described hereafter. The lower end of the bar Ilia is set in a clevis II and an adjustment lock nut l2a is provided for manual adjustment. 10 of the toggle connection of which the bar It, the

bar Inc, and the cylinder H, are all portions.

The clevis H is connected to an actuating crank lever arm l2 onto extended arms l3 thereof. The crank lever arm I2 is T-shaped in elevation and 15 has the main body connected to the medial joint of the toggle bytheextended side arms l3 onto which the clevis is mounted. Extending out from and eccentric from the-arms IS on each side of the crank lever arm l2are the eccentric 20 or crank arms H and I5 which are connected onto a pivotally supported H-shaped member H which forms the lower portion of our toggle for actuating the pressing buck. The top ends of the member I! are connected onto the arms '25 II and I5 and the bottomend is connected onto a cross support shaft it. The shaft I8 is mounted in bearings I! in the frame A. The lower end of the crank lever arm I2 is mounted ona pin a 20 which pin is carried'through the bifurcated 30 I end 23 of the connecting rod 2| of the power cylinder 22 On each outer side of the bifurcated end 23 of the'connecting rod 2| on'the pin 20, we mount two ball bearing-supported rollers 24 g which rollers engage on'a cam K which is mount 35 ed on the shaft l8 and set to the framework by bolts (not shown) passed through a cross plate ofthe frame A.- The front engaging face of the cam K is. mounted on a sloping incline sothat when the cylinder is filled forcing the piston 40 outward the connecting rod v2i will be forced. out and raised over the top of the cam by therollers 2| engaging the two sides of the cam K actuating the buck arm 5 and engaging the two 5 bucks. I

Our hydraulic cylinder H is the main element in our invention and is connected between the shaft Ill and the shaft li The lower end of the cylinder is connected to the shaft Illa, and the top of the cylinder is closed by a cylinder head 26 held in place by. bolts 21. The head 26' is bored to .allow the shaft It to pass down thereinto and the bottom end of the shaft is formed with a valve 30 near the end thereof with the rest of the length of the shaft llforming the valve stem 3| extending through the central bore 32 of the piston 33 and having the end threaded to receive a nut 34.

The internal bore of the cylinder H is of two diameters that nearest the head 25 being greater than the bore in which the piston 33 is operated.

. The valve seat 31 and opening 32 of the piston ill 'washer or plate 4|.

33 is of. greater diameter than the stem 3| and for greater capacity and strength of the piston, we then-provide diverging ports 36 through the head of the piston to allow for quick passage of the fluid therethrough.

The nut 34 is set on the stem 3| a distance from the end of the piston to allow for movement of the shaft l sufficient distance to open and close the valve seat 31 of the piston when in operation. The step 39 between the larger diametered chamber 39 and the smaller diameter-ed chamber 40 is to act as a seatfor a floating This washer or plate 4| is perforated by holes 43 and said plate 4| is mounted loosely on the shaft l0 above the-valve and is normally held in tensional contact with the step 38 by a spring 42 mounted surrounding the shaft l0 and extending up the shaft to a cross pin 44, said pin holding the spring in tensional relation to the plate and holding the plate nor-' mally against the step and the shaft l9 normally lengthened. The spring is the means for normally holding the link extended and the fluid cylinder is the means for allowing it to shorten. In order to allow for this shortening action we provide a bypass port 45 leading from the chamber 39 into a valve chamber 46. The valve chamber 46 carries a ball valve 41 actuated by a plunger 48. The'valve seat 49 for controlling the fiow of fluid is formed in the'end of an insert 50 in which insert the plunger 48 is operated. The end ,of the valve chamber leads into a port which port leads into the chamber 40. A spring 53 normally holds the plunger and valve in the open position. Thus when the toggle is being operated and the piston is traveling thefluid is forced through the port 5| into the valve chamber 46, through the valve seat 49, and out of the port 54, in the insert 50, and through the by pass 45 into the chamber 39, allowing for compensation of the length ofthe toggle to adjust for different thickness of padding or of materials being pressed.

1 In Figure 5 We have shown a diagrammatic view showing-:the cylinder H in a toggle action with the arms of the toggle shown as 69, and 6|, pivotally connected to each other and to an actuating rod 62. The outer ends-of the arms may be pivotally connected to any desired sta tionary object and one movable object.

As a means to actuate the plunger 48 we have shown an adjustable yielding actuating stop S secured to the frame work A by a cross piece 56 and held adjusted by the lock nuts 51 and 58 and-having a spring carried in the housing 65 I said spring to allow for movement of the stop S piston and cylinder when engaged by the plunger 48 to prevent breakage of the parts of the device.

Having thus described our invention we desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim:

I. In a press of the class described the combination of a movable and stationary element; a toggle mechanism, a power cylinder to actuate the movable element through said toggle; said toggle having an arm composed of two parts, a cylinder fixed to one part, a piston co-acting therewith aflixed to the other part, means to conduct fluid freely from one side of said piston to the other; and means acting when the toggle has traveled to a predetermined position to stop the flow of fluid.

2. In a device as claimed in claim 1 a means interposed and acting between the cylinder and piston to return same to their initial relative positions when the pressure is removed.

3. In a press having a movable and a stationary press element, pressure means including a toggle to cause relative pressing engagement of said elements, a lostmotion connection interposed in a portion of said pressure means which is in compression when the movable element has been actuated, said lost motion connection ineluding a piston connected to one part, and a cylinder connected to another part of said pressure means, a fluid in said cylinder, conduit means to allow removal of said fluid from said cylinder under said compression, and valve means in said moval, whereby further 10st motion is prevented and further movement of the toggle to alined position brings the elementsinto pressing engagement.

4. Inmechanism as claimed in claim 1, auxiliary conduit means to conduct fluid past said piston, an auxiliary valve means closed by pressure on the toggle and located in said auxiliary conduit means, a resilient means to open said valve when the pressure isremoved from the tog- ,el to allow. the fluid to return to its initial position by gravity.

5. A pressing machine comprising a head and bed member at least one of which is movable; a movable pressure applying mechanism for actuating said movable member; a hydraulic cylinder mounted in part of a two piece arm of said pressure applying mechanism, a piston carried'in said cylinder and connected to the other part of said arm; means to conduct fluid freely from one side of said piston to the other; valve means acting when the pressure applying mechanism has flow, of fluid; and means acting between said to lengthen said arm when the movable bed member has been returned to its initial position.'

ARTHUR O. GATES. OTTO H. PEARSON.

GEORGE PEARSON. 

